


Like Sunshine

by ReySkyrissian (ErinacchiLove)



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, Family Feels, Family Reunions, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Lando goes to Ahch-To with Luke, Light Angst, M/M, Old Married Couple, Post-Canon Fix-It, Rey Calrissian-Skywalker, TLJ whom? I don't know him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2018-12-01
Packaged: 2019-08-25 06:39:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16656112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErinacchiLove/pseuds/ReySkyrissian
Summary: After Luke's Jedi Temple is destroyed, he and Lando leave to research lost Jedi knowledge. For his surprise, Lando likes Ahch-To. The place is the polar opposite of Cloud City, and he's homesick, but it is peaceful. Lando and Luke fall into a daily routine of trying to decipher old Jedi texts, fishing, and trying to keep porgs from destroying their belongings.... until one day their daily routine is interrupted by something neither of them could've expected even in their wildest dreams.





	Like Sunshine

**Author's Note:**

  * For [smaragdbird](https://archiveofourown.org/users/smaragdbird/gifts).



> smaragdbird, I hope you like this^^ I was really hooked on this one part in your prompt for Skyrissian, "or maybe Lando went with Luke into exile?" and that was why I rushed to get this pinch hit. I've wanted to write this idea for a while now. And then it escalated into me adding some of my own personal headcanons and stuff, I hope that's okay~
> 
> I was inspired a lot by the reunion scene in Anastasia, and I also hope that my reasoning for Luke's exile on Ahch-To makes more sense than the bs Ruin Johnson gave us. Also I saw a Tumblr post where it was stated that Lando is fluent in eighteen languages and that had me going all "here's the world's longest yeah boy!"
> 
> Enjoy^^

Out of all the places in the galaxy Lando thought he might’ve ended up spending his retirement days in, Ahch-To was among the last. A rainy, remote ocean planet in the middle of the galaxy’s nowhere, the only attraction being the first Jedi temple? Yeah, couldn’t have been farther from Lando’s ideal.

     But after Ben had destroyed Luke’s new Jedi temple, and Luke had decided to exile himself to find out if there was any way to bring someone back from the Dark Side without them having to die for it, Lando had refused to let his husband go alone. It hadn’t been an easy decision, but Cloud City was running well enough even when Lando wasn’t overseeing things, and Luke needed him.

     “Besides,” Lando had said as he had carried what essentials he believed he needed on this journey into his and Luke’s ship, “if I don’t come to make sure you stay out of trouble you might end up with a new limb loss or worse.”

     Luke had ignored this and said, “You know that I’ve no idea where we’d go. There’s not a living soul that might have even the faintest clue where the first Jedi temple is. This is gonna be a really long journey.”

     Lando had simply kissed Luke’s forehead and answered, “Good, it’s been a while I’ve last had you all for myself.”

     And that had been the end of that discussion. Finding Ahch-To had taken the better part of two years, and it had been even harder to stay under the radar. Everywhere they went, the threat of the First Order had always been in the background, not obvious all the time, but always there. The small village of Tuanul on Jakku had been the first place that truly felt safe, but they didn’t stay long. Lor San Tekka somehow had the final clue about the location of the first Jedi temple, and after setting the coordinates in their ship, Luke had split the map, placed most of it with Artoo, and left the remaining piece with San Tekka.

     “In case anyone needs to find us,” Luke had said and had then sent Artoo back to Leia.

     They made one more stop on Takodana. After finding Luke's old lightsaber they had wondered what to do with it, until Lando had suggested giving it to Maz Kanata for safekeeping. Luke had agreed; he didn't need it anymore, but leaving it behind wasn't a good idea either. And Maz's palace was one of the safest places in the galaxy, and Maz herself, being slightly Force sensitive, knew how to hide it. Chances of anyone finding it at her palace were nonexistent.

     Ahch-To, when they finally made it there, was a jackpot when it came to old Jedi texts, but it turned out that since they were ancient, they were written in an ancient form of Basic. Translating the stuff to more contemporary Basic was still in some parts a work in progress, but Lando didn't mind. It kept him busy. With the occasional chat with the locals (Caretakers, they were called) and the everyday ordeal of preventing porgs from invading their hut complex and ship, there really wasn't a lot to do there.

     For his surprise, Lando liked it. The place was the polar opposite of Cloud City, and of course he was homesick sometimes, but it was peaceful. And since Luke wasn't what Lando might've called linguistically inclined, it was nice to sit outside on sunny days and try to decipher the old Jedi texts together.

     Their research just didn't seem to go anywhere. Nothing indicated there was any way to turn back from the Dark Side at all, so both Lando and Luke started to believe that Darth Vader must have been an outlier that shouldn't be counted in. At some point their research lost most of its meaning, and they spent their days fishing and doing other chores rather than studying the texts.

     Like today. Luke had left early while Lando cleaned their hut from their own trash and some porg poo that always somehow found its way inside. After that Lando checked the ship and did some basic cleaning until on some hunch he decided to check the engine and hyperdrive. And that was when he realized that the engine was busted. Some porg had probably got in, at least what Lando could deduce from the torn wires. Great, getting off this planet just got a lot harder.

     Well, at least Luke brought home a good batch of fish. Something good at least. Lando started to make fire in the stove and Luke sat down at the table to clean the fish.

     “I don’t say this nearly enough, but thank you,” Luke said all of the sudden.

     Lando looked up from the stove and raised an eyebrow at him. “What for?”

     “Everything, really.” Luke smiled at Lando a bit sheepishly while cutting the fish to pieces. “You coming with me, putting up with this planet, putting up with _me_ and the crazy Jedi stuff even though it's not going anywhere…”

     “I’m gonna stop you right there,” Lando interrupted. “I’d do all of those things all over again because you’re my husband and I love you. Besides,” he grinned, “you wouldn’t have got anywhere without me anyway. For a Jedi Master who’s supposed to serve the entire galaxy your language skills are surprisingly nonexistent.”

     Luke got up to gently shove Lando’s arm, laughing. “Well we can’t _all_ be fluent in eighteen languages and able to communicate with a dozen others!”

     Lando shrugged. “Well, not that knowing all those languages got us anywhere after all. I hate to say this because I really adored the kid but… I don't think Ben can be saved.”

     Luke sighed and nodded. “I'm starting to lose hope too. I think something might’ve come up already if it were possible. Do you think… we should just go home?”

     Lando pondered this for a moment. He hated the idea of giving up, but it didn't seem like Ben could be redeemed, and no amount of reading and rereading the Jedi texts was going to change that. Maybe it really was time to go home… if the busted engine could be fixed.

     Lando glanced back at Luke to answer, but didn't get to it when Luke turned at the door with a frown.

     “I sense something…” Luke murmured.

     Lando raised an eyebrow at him. “What? What is it?”

     Luke didn't answer, he just put down the knife he used to clean the fish and went outside. Lando huffed and followed him.

     “Dammit, Luke,” he grumbled, “you know I hate it when you do that. Not all of us are Jedi masters and–”

     Lando paused when he saw what Luke had sensed.

     The _Falcon_ landed on a ledge at the foot of the staircase that led up to the stone huts.

     Lando and Luke glanced at each other.

     “Han and Chewie?” Lando asked.

     Luke closed his eyes for a moment and then shook his head. “Just Chewie. I don't sense Han at all.”

     Huh. That was odd. Han had to be really badly incapacitated to not be piloting his ship.

     “There is a familiar presence though,” Luke continued. “I'm not sure why. It feels like… I don't know how to describe it. But the Force is strong with it.”

     “Ahsoka?” Lando suggested.

     Luke shook his head again. “I'd know if it was her. Her Force signature is like a warm breeze. This is… like sunshine.”

     Lando's stomach twisted. It had been fifteen years, but he still associated that word with their Sunshine. It was something he and Luke never talked about these days. What was the point? They had already dealt with the loss of their daughter the best they could, no need to open up old wounds for nothing. They had moved on.

     “So, what now?” Lando asked. “What do we do?”

     “I don't know,” Luke said. “Wait and see, I suppose.”

     They didn't have to wait long. A short while later they first saw a staff and then a young woman, in a grey vest and grey trousers, her brown hair tied back in… in three buns. Lando grabbed Luke's hand. It couldn't be. The familiarity was so striking it was painful, but it couldn't be. Sure, Lando was a betting man, but those odds were too wild even for him.

     “Master Skywalker? General Calrissian?” said the girl, as if there could be any chance in mistaking them. Lando and Luke were the only humans on this island. “I’m with the Resistance. General Organa sent me. We need your help.”

     “Leia?” Lando blurted, ignoring the nagging feeling in his gut. “Is she alright?”

     “It's a long story, we'll tell you on the _Falcon_ ,” the girl answered. “Chewie's waiting down there.”

     “Where's Han?” Luke asked.

     The girl looked down, biting her lip as if she was trying to hold back tears. Lando squeezed Luke's hand even tighter while his other hand flew on his mouth. No. _No_. Han couldn't be… he just couldn't. Han was a survivor, he had pulled through being frozen in carbonite of all things!

     “How?” Luke breathed, his voice trembling.

     “Kylo Ren murdered him,” the girl answered, and it was like a nightmare come true. The galaxy somehow felt a lot emptier now that Han wasn’t in it anymore, and that Ben was the reason for it… Lando felt like he might’ve broken down completely if it wasn’t for Luke’s presence. “I saw it. He… with the lightsaber… there was nothing to be done, I…”

     The girl wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. “That reminds me,” she said, and dug her bag. “I believe this belongs to you, Master Skywalker.”

     No. Damn. Way.

     The girl was handing Luke’s old lightsaber.

     “Where did you get that?” Luke asked, accepting the saber nonetheless.

     The corner of the girl’s mouth twitched. “Maz Kanata’s palace. It… it called for me. I can’t explain it. I found it in a chest in the basement. I also had this weird vision and… it’s a long story, alright?”

     Lando and Luke exchanged looks again. Years of marriage had taught them to understand each other from a raised eyebrow or a pointed look, so they only needed to nod to agree on this matter. Whoever this girl was, she was special. And they were going to pack. They had to go home now. If not for anything else, then to support Leia. She needed them now.

     “So, what’s your name?” Lando asked as they made their way into their hut, only now remembering his manners. (His mother, may she rest in peace, would’ve been ashamed.) The girl followed them, and Lando gestured her to sit down while Luke started the attempt to find everything they had scattered around the hut during the years.

     “Rey,” she answered as she sat by the table. Lando’s stomach twisted again, and he noted that Luke froze for a moment before continuing to gather their belongings. This didn’t feel like a pure coincidence.

     “No last name?”

     Rey shook her head. “None that I know of, or can remember.”

     Luke settled a pile of clothes (that stank) on the table. “Where are you from?”

     “I… I don’t know.” Rey reached up and rolled something, probably a pendant, back and forth between her fingers. “I was left on Jakku when I was very young. That’s all I can remember.”

     Lando made a face, even if he didn’t mean to. But Jakku was an arid hellhole, on par with Tatooine. Luke noticed his reaction and smiled at it a little. Rey smiled a bit sheepishly as well.

     “Yeah, not the best place for a lonely five-year-old to grow up in, but I survived.”

     Now Lando froze too. Five-year-old? As in exactly the same age as their Sunshine had been when she had been taken away from them? This _really_ couldn’t be a coincidence anymore. What were the chances that a young woman exactly the same age as their Sunshine, who had the same name, would just happen to tumble upon this island?

     Rey let go of her pendant. It was a small green crystal tied to a leather string.

     Just like the one he and Luke had given their Sunshine on her birthday many years ago.

     “What’s that?” Luke asked, and a good thing he did, because Lando felt like he had just lost his ability to speak, for the first time ever.

     Rey looked up at them. “This?” She pulled the necklace over her head. “I’ve had this always, I think. I’m… not sure why I have it, but I haven’t been able to part from it, even when it could’ve kept me fed for days.”

     Luke held out his hand. “May I? I need to check something.”

     Rey frowned, but dropped the necklace in Luke’s hand. Lando leaned in to take a good look at the pendant and almost clashed his head with Luke’s. But there was no mistaking it. It was the same necklace. There weren’t that many pendants made of green kyber crystals out there after all. And Lando only needed to give Luke a quick glance to know that he agreed.

     “Rey,” Lando said, surprised that any sound came out at all, “do you have any memories of your family at all?”

     Rey shook her head. “No, not really. Just… feelings. That I was loved. But it never made any sense to me. Why would I have been left on Jakku if I was loved?”

     Luke handed the necklace back to Rey. “We wouldn’t ask this otherwise, but we lost our daughter fifteen years ago. Some former Imperial officers attacked my temple and… that was the last time we ever saw her. It was a couple of months after her fifth birthday.”

     “And we got her a necklace just like that,” Lando added, nodding at it. “Or rather, we gave her that exact necklace.”

     Rey stared at them. “Wait. Are you two saying what I think you’re saying?”

     Lando and Luke nodded in unison. Rey leaned back on her chair and breathed into her left hand. For several moments that felt like eternity the three of them sat there in silence. And it wasn’t just Rey who needed a moment to process everything. This was real, _this actually was real_. Their daughter had found them. After all those years, here she was now, against all the odds.

     “I need to actually hear it,” Rey said finally. “Otherwise I’m just gonna think I’m dreaming, and after everything I… I don’t wanna get my hopes up for nothing. I’ve been screwed over enough.”

     Lando reached out to take Rey’s hand. Taking a deep breath usually calmed him, but not this time. His voice was shivering when he said, “Rey, we’re your fathers.”

     Rey moved her chair and hugged Lando. Luke joined them a second later. They didn’t move from there for a long while.

     Maybe getting off this planet could wait one more day. Maybe they could take this one day to just be with each other.

     “All those years, I thought I was alone,” Rey sobbed against Lando’s shoulder.

     Luke caressed her hair. “We did search for you, but I lost your Force signature. For all we knew you were dead.”

     Lando scoffed at his husband. “For all _you_ knew, you mean. I never lost hope and I damn nearly turned the galaxy upside down to find you, Sunshine.”

     Rey’s laugh was thick from tears, but the way it sounded was familiar.

     “Well,” she said, smiling through her tears, “I’m home now.”

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are appreciated ♥


End file.
